The Lucksmiths w/Math and Physics Club @ El Cid, 9/21/07
ARTICLE BY CHERYL CHENG
PHOTOS BY DAVID HORNBUCKLE AND C.C.
“Even though we look twee, we can rock!” enthused The Lucksmiths singer Tali White, upon asking for the monitors to be turned up at the band’s recent gig at El Cid. Tonight, this trio of twee Aussies performed a late night set, which started around midnight, to an appreciative crowd, who has been waiting for their return since 2005, when the The Lucksmiths last performed at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, and the show was well worth the wait.
Openers Math and Physics Club set the tone for a shoegazing affair with their precious pop music. The Seattle-based band admitted they were a bit rusty, as they haven’t performed in about 10 months, and it was pretty evident throughout their set. Interestingly, what makes Math and Physics Club’s music so endearing—simple, heartfelt lyrics about shy, awkward love—translates to a live performance that is simply awkward to watch. The band’s obvious lack of stage presence made it more comfortable to stare at one’s shoes than at the stage. The highlight of their set was a cover of Stone Roses’ “Sally Cinnamon,” which was toward the set’s end, when MAPC appeared slightly more at ease.
Math and Physics Club
Despite the midnight set time, when The Lucksmiths arrived on stage, the audience was noticably excited. Tali and band mates Marty Donald and Mark Monnone were all enthusiastic, charming and chatty. The band has been around for quite awhile—they’re currently touring in support of their 10th album, Spring a Leak—and their commanding stage presence demonstrates this. The Lucksmiths opened with a rousing version of “Camera Shy,” an ironic song to perform while fans are taking photos of the band. Surprisingly, the set list was heavy with tracks from their last album, Warmer Corners: “A Hiccup in Your Happiness,” “The Music Next Door,” “Great Lengths,” “A Chapter in Your Life Entitled San Francisco,” “Fiction” and “Sunlight in a Jar,” which Tali described as a song about not being able to write a song.
The band also performed some tracks from Spring a Leak (a 45-song collection of b-sides, compilation songs, unreleased songs, live tracks, remixes and covers), including b-side “Rue Something” and compilation track “Once Again.” Spring a Leak is just one indication of how long this Australian band has been making music. And when a fan requested “Adolescent Song of Mindless Devotion,” from the band’s first album, First Tape, Tali affectionately thanked him “for reminding us of how long we’ve been around.”
The band’s banter had an affection and appreciation for the audience, such as when Tali jokingly remarked, “Los Angeles, we’ve heard of this town...” And the band members proceeded to name movies based in the City of Angels. Though The Lucksmiths seem destined to languish in obscurity, their music is twee pop on par with such contemporaries as Belle & Sebastian and draws some comparison to The Smiths. (Their song “There is a Boy That Never Goes Out” is a noteworthy salute to the Moz-fronted band.) And for those who are reluctant to experience what a so-called twee concert would be like, The Lucksmiths are anything but. Even the expected slower tracks, such as “The Year of Driving Languorously,” were jarringly more rock in their live versions. Tali, whose drumming duties were relentless until the curtain came down at 1:16 a.m., was right. For a twee band, The Lucksmiths sure can rock.
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